Process of and apparatus for concentrating ores.



(1.]. B. ARMSTRONG.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONCENTRA'HNG ORES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. l5, 19H.

TED STATS ATET FFEQE.

onnnic JUDSON BEATTY Anmsrnono, 0]? 001mm, ONTARIO, CANADA, Assionon T0METALS nncovnny ooMrAnY, or AUGUSTA, MAINE, A CORPORATIGN on MAINE.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONCENTRATING ORES.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June ilil, 1918.

Application filed march 15, 1917. Serial No. 155,056.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CEDRIG Jonson BEATI'Y ARMSTRONG, a British subject,residing at Cobalt, Ont, Canada, in the district of Timiskaming andProvince of Ontario, Canada,have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes of and Apparatus for Concentrating Ores, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new-and useful improvements in processof and apparatus for concentrating ores and thesame consists of theparts and the constructions, arrangements and combinations of partswhich I will hereinafter describe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification and inwhich similar reference characters indicate like parts in the severalviews:

Figure 1 represents a longitudinal sectional view of an ore flotationtank embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a tank of slightly modifiedconstruction.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate other modified forms of tanks.

The present invention has particular relation to the construction of thetanks which are now more or less employed in flotation processes forseparating the metalliferous constituents of an ore mass from the gangueor nonmetalliferous -constituents, by an agent or agents, as an oil, oran oil and an acid, or an oil and an alkali or some substance which actsselectively upon the metallic or metalliferous constituents of the mass,and which mass usually consists of powdered ore and water and a frothingagent.

In carrying out my invention I construct a tank A, of any desiredmaterial, size and capacity, and this tank may have either an inclinedbottom B, as shown in Fig. 1, or the bottom may be substantiallyhorizontal, as shown at B, in Fig. 5. Any other suitable and well knownform or design of tank may be employed, and hence the tanks illustratedin the present drawings are but representative of any tank capable ofuse in the art hereinbefore referred to. Whatever the form of tankadopted, the same should be supplied with a feed supply a and with meansfor admitting air in more or less large volume into the fluid contentsthereof in order to produce that efl'ective aeration of the massthatseems to be so necessary or desirable to generate gaseous bubbles, whichbecome the active agent for floating the mineral. particles of the massto the surface of the liquid contents of the tank. For the purposementioned, namely, for aerating the ore pulp as described, I prefertoemploy some suitable porous substance, for instance a plate or plates ofporous earthenware, or porous brick, or felt, canvas or other fibrousmaterial, suitably supported, such porous material being illustratedgenerally at C in the drawing, and overlying and forming a to coveringof an air chamber or chambers,%, which may be supplied with air or othergaseous medium, under pressure, through the medium of a supply pipe E,having valve-controlled branches F, whereby the gaseous medium admittedinto the aforesaid chamber or chambers D, will be forced through theporous bottom of the tank in innumerable fine streams and will enter thepulp mass throughout substantially the entire area thereof and will soact upon the frothing-agent constituent of said pulp as to producebubbles which rise through the body of pulp, and in doing so the sulfidsor metalliferous particles thereof seem to have an afiinity therefor asthey tend to attach themselves to the rising bubbles and are elevatedthereby, while the gangue or non-metalliferous particles of the ore ulptend to precipitate or fall downwar ly between the stream of ascendingbubblesto the bottom of the tank, and which tank is usually suppliedwith an appropriate outlet G for the tailings or rejected matter. Ifdesired, this outlet may be automatically controlled and the liquidlevel of the tank maintained, by the employment of a float actuatedvalveH, or any) other well known arrangement, automatic pr otherwise inits operation, mav be employed if suitable fcr the above purpose.

A leading object of the present inventlon is to provide the tank with amore or less constricted area for the discharge of the bubbles whichaccumulate on the surface of the liquid contents of the tank.Ordinarily,

the discharge of the bubbles, or the froth,

"usual discharge of the bubbles is over two edges of the tank, eachabout eight (8) feet long, and when using such a tank with ore of a veryhigh ratio of cencentrates, the

1 amount of overflow over the sixteeen (16) in the type of tank hereinmentioned) if the a feet represented by the long edges before mentioned,is, comparatively small, but by concentratmg all of this flow into aconstricted outlet, and which outlet is shown in the form of notches orsmall recesses A cut in the top edges of the tank, or made in the sideor sides of the tank at some suitable point above the liquid levelthereof the overflow is obviously many times deeper than in the instanceabove noted. Two notches oropenings, each say about six (6) inches wide,one in each of opposite sides of the tank, may be considered as adesirable size as with the combined due foot area thus provided as anoutlet, the depth of the froth then overflowing will be obviously aboutsixteen (16) times as deep and can be more easily controlled;

By the constriction of the bubble outlet, substantially as aboveexplained, the bubbles instead of overflowing immediately they appear orform upon the surface of the pulp and being allowed to travel only ashort dis tance before discharging, are retained in the tank for a muchlonger period than usual, say for a time suficient to enable the bubblesto travel substantially the entire length of the tank, (usually abouteight (8) feet aforesaid constricted outlet, or notches, recesses oropenings is at or near the discharge end of the tank, and to travel adistance of approximately sixteen (16) feet, in the tank mentioned, ifthe constricted bubble outlet is at the feed end of the tank andprotected against a short 'circuiting of the bubbles by appropriatebaflles I, or the like, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. When using thesebaffles, and which bafies may extend any desired distance from the feedend of the tank toward the tail end thereof, or any suitable distancebelow the surface of the bubbles, the baflles are suitably spaced fromeach other and from the sides of the tank, and the pulp being deliveredbetween the bafies will be first directed lengthwise of the tank andthen cleaner concentrate. vence with the described constructlon 1npracnaeawo placed launders K.

The leading advantage derived from this extended travel of the bubblesor the increased length of time the bubbles are retained in the tank, isto produce a much From actual experitice T have in one instance raisedthe grade of the concentrates from 200 ounces obtained from a tank withthe long or extended discharge herein mentioned to 600 ounces when'usingthe same ore in a similar tank having a constricted bubbledischarge substantially as before explained.

The notches, recesses or openings forming the bubble-discharge may beanywhere along the length of the sides of the tank; at or near eitherend as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or at an intermediate point, or even ineither end wall of the tank, Figs. a, 5, without departing from thescope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A flotation tank adapted to contain pulpcomposed of powdered ore andwater and a frothable agent, and having means for gasifying the pulp tothereby facilitate the formation of a froth or bubbles, which accumulateas a mass on the surface of the liquid, said tank havinga frothaccumulating space of substantial depth and extended area above the pulplevel elongated in the direction of travel of the froth, and providedwith a horizontally constricted outlet from said froth accumulatingspace and adapted to retard the flow of the bubbles of froth therefrom.

2. A flotation tank adapted to contain an ore pulp and having means forgasifying the pulp, and forming froth therein, said tank having a frothaccumulating space of substantial depth and extended area above the pulplevel subdivided, and elongated in the direction of travel of the froth,and

are

provided with a horizontally constricted outlet from said frothaccumulating space adapted to delay the froth discharge and therebyproduce a concentration ofsaid froth. I

flotation tank adapted to contain an ore pulp'and having means forgasifying the pulp and forming froth therein, said tankhaving a frothdischarge positioned above its liquid level, and means forming ahorizontally tortuous passage along the liquid surface of the tank, saidfroth discharge being horizontally constricted to thereby slow theescape of the froth and facilitate the concentration of said froth.

4c. The process herein described of concentrating the froth generated ina flotation tank by gasifying a pulp containing powtally constrictingthe discharge through dered ore and water and a frothable agent, whichthe froth escapes from said tank. 0 said process consisting,essentially, in 210- In testimony whereof I'aflix my signaturecumulating a body of froth of substantial in presence of two witnesses.

5 depth and extended area above the pulp GEDRIG JUDSON BEATTY ARMSTRONG.

" leveland extended in the direction of its Witnesses: travel, andprolonging the period in which E. B. THORNHILL,

the froth'is retained in the tank by horizon- F. A; MOORE.

